Should a newbie buy SS kegs?

[venm]

My husband found an ad on craigslist for me for 5-gallon ball lock kegs. They are 50$ each and look to be a really good deal. I just would love some advice on whether or not I "need" them.
I've only had (not even finished yet) one experience with brewing. I have two small batches (1 g) of cider fermenting. I do like carbonated cider but need some advice on if these would be useful to me or not. I was thinking of just buying one and even if I didn't need it's pressure holding abilities I would probably find it useful to brew in, etc.
Any advice would be appreciated.
P.S. I do love beer too and could see myself getting into that.

Here's a photo

 

[BargainFittings]

If you see yourself kegging soon and have the funds available then that is not a horrible price on kegs. They seem to keep going up as the supply gets tighter.

 

[bja]

I would buy them. Worst case is you sell them and get your money back.

I have a feeling they will be sold very quickly.

 

[IrregularPulse]

My god, are used kegs really $50 now? I hope mine last!

 

[jsv1204]

If the kegs are clean and rebuilt (new o-rigs), the price is OK, but not exceptional.

I know I had a ton of other things on my brewing list that came before a kegging outfit. It might not be worth sacrificing something else on your wishlist.

 

[jtejedor]

Yeah my lhbs is asking 70$ for a used ball lock with new rings. Prices are getting pretty crazy unless your willing to go pin lock.

 

[stratslinger]

Just keep in mind that, once you have a keg (or set of kegs), you'll also need some other equipment in order to use them - so your investment in the kegs is far from the only investment you'll be making! You'll need a CO2 cylinder, gas and liquid side quick disconnects, beer line, gas line, a faucet of some sort (a picnic faucet at the minimum) and something to keep the keg(s) cool - a fridge or a freezer with a temperature controller are both good options.

All that said, if you keep your eyes open, you should be able to find kegs for a better price when you know for certain you're ready to begin kegging your ciders and, if you go that route, beers.

 

[dbrewski]

Wow I wish my wife would point out equipment for me to buy. Sounds like your hubby is imagining a kegerator in his near future!

 

[501irishred]

Wow I wish my wife would point out equipment for me to buy. Sounds like your hubby is imagining a kegerator in his near future!

Sounds like it's for her, not him. Even better! Try as I might SWMBO still thinks of my hobby/passion as a waste of 6 hours on a Sat that I could be fulfilling her honey-do lists.

My hat is off to you venm!

 

[limulus]

The bottom line: If you really like brewing and you stick with it, you're going to eventually want kegs. You can use them for fermentation and of course serving. Washing and storing dozens of bottles is just an enormous PITA.

 

[venm]

Wow, you guys are great. Thanks for all the feedback. Thanks also to stratslinger for the list of additional equipment I'd need. (I really meant it when I said newbie
So, limulus, I can use these for fermenting and serving? I was just thinking if I have to go out and buy a glass carboy or something as a second fermentation vessel or for bottling I might as well get one of these instead.
Are the o-rings it might need very expensive?
jsv1204, I don't even have a wish list yet! (except for more free apples!) Do you have any good suggestions for what I should start out with?
Thanks again, everyone.

PS I think my hubby is just relieved that this next hobby of mine won't involve anything else he has to build for me (He already fixed and finished the cider press I had begun making!)

 

[stratslinger]

Hahahahaha!!! Half the fun of brewing is consantly tinkering on new gear! In the past two years, I've:
- Converted a fridge to a 4-tap kegerator
- Built a fermentation chamber
- Built a 2-way temperature controller for the afformentioned fermentation chamber
- Assembled a cooler Mash Tun
- Assembled a keg HLT
- Assembled a keg brew kettle
- Installed camlocks on everything in my brewery setup
- Mounted my brewing pump in a tool box, with some custom electrical and plumbing work to make the setup functional

And I've got more stuff planned. If you get into the brewing side of things, there's plenty of stuff you and your husband can continue to build. Not sure how much would be applicable on the cider side.

Anyway, to your new questions: o-rings are pretty cheap. If you do a quick search here, you can find the part numbers for replacement o-rings from McMaster Carr. I bought a ton of replacements (enough to last years) for under $20, if memory serves. The only one that approaches expensive is the big one that goes around the lid.

Yes, lots of people use these for fermenting, but you need to figure out a way to mount some sort of airlock or spunding valve onto the keg in order to release the gas pressure that builds up during fermentation. But, truth be told, a glass or plastic carboy would be cheaper than one of these - keep that in mind!

 

[501irishred]

Does your husband weld? He may not be out of the woods quite yet. LOL. I think I see a brewing stand in his future!

 

[venm]

Thanks again, Stratslinger. Great info.
To 501irishred: he wants to learn to weld but may put that off if he finds out all the things he might have to make for me!

So, I think I will wait before buying these. You guys gave me all the info I needed, thanks. I really just didn't want to miss out on an amazing deal that I'd regret in the future. If the price is just ok, I'll just wait and get something like that when I get closer...

 

[jsv1204]

jsv1204, I don't even have a wish list yet! (except for more free apples!) Do you have any good suggestions for what I should start out with?

Something I would have high on the list is a brew pot big enough to do a full boil. It makes for better extract-based beer and is a prerequisite for all-grain. For me, it was a big aluminum turkey fryer with propane burner setup. Next big thing was a cooler-style mash/lauter tun I built for about $60 then the big switch to all-grain. My kegging outfit arrived a few weeks ago and I will be kegging my first batches any day now.